Campaigners Put HIV Testing On The Parliamentary Agenda, UK

Main Category: HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 25 Jun 2009 - 5:00 PDT

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Local campaigners met with MPs and senior primary care trust staff at a parliamentary event today to raise awareness of HIV and discuss ways to increase HIV testing.

The 'Testing Local Leadership on HIV' event, held at the House of Commons, was organised by the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS, Terrence Higgins Trust and NAT (National AIDS Trust), and sponsored by Gilead Sciences Ltd. Local campaigners met with MPs from the constituencies with the highest HIV prevalence in England - where at least 2 in 1,000 people are diagnosed with HIV.

Speakers at the event were Chief Medical Officer, Sir Liam Donaldson, David Borrow MP, Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS, Neil Gerrard, MP for Walthamstow and Garry Brough, an HIV campaigner. Issues discussed included offering testing in a wider range of settings, increasing opportunities for community based testing and involving GPs more in testing high risk groups, in particular gay men and Africans.

Over 77,400 people are living with HIV in the UK - more than ever before, but over a quarter of these people (approximately 20,000) are undiagnosed and nearly a third are diagnosed late. As well as risking their own health, people who remain undiagnosed also risk the health of others, as those who don't know their HIV status account for the majority of onward transmission.

Sir Nick Partridge, Chief Executive of Terrence Higgins Trust said "At the moment, thousands of people with HIV don't know they have it, so it's vital we increase testing. It needs to be quick and easy to take a test and clinics should be accessible both in terms of location and opening times. We hope the MPs who came along today will encourage their local NHS to take action and make HIV testing a priority."

Deborah Jack, Chief Executive of NAT comments "Increasing testing is one of the most significant things we can do about HIV in the UK. It requires national commitment and local action from MPs, health commissioners and those at frontline services. Working together we have a real opportunity to not only improve the health of many people who are undiagnosed but also to stop the spread of HIV."

Anyone concerned they may have been at risk of HIV can call THT Direct on 0845 12 21 200. Details of testing clinics can also be found at http://www.tht.org.uk

Notes

1. Terrence Higgins Trust is the UK's largest HIV and sexual health charity with centres across England, Scotland and Wales. We're here to provide information and advice about HIV and sexual health and offer a range of services including sexual health checks, counselling and support groups. We campaign for a world where people with HIV live healthy lives, free from prejudice and discrimination and we promote good sexual health as a right and reality for all. Terrence Higgins Trust relies on donations to deliver a wide range of services. To make a donation, visit http://www.tht.org.uk

2. NAT (National AIDS Trust) is the UK's leading charity dedicated to transforming society's response to HIV. We provide fresh thinking, expert advice and practical resources. We campaign for change. Shaping attitudes. Challenging injustice. Changing lives. http://www.nat.org.uk

3. The All Party Parliamentary Group on AIDS is a backbench cross-Party Group of around 200 MPs and Peers in the UK Parliament. Members of the APPG believe careful policy, respectful of human rights, is critical to tackling HIV in the UK and the serious social exclusion that can go along with it. For more about the APPG on aids visit http://www.appg-aids.org.uk or contact its Policy Adviser, Veronica Oakeshott on oakeshottv@parliament.uk

4. 'Testing Local Leadership on HIV' was sponsored by Gilead Sciences Ltd.

5. The following Health Protection Agency report highlights the PCTs where prevalence of HIV exceeds two in 1,000 people - http://www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1221722386448

Source
Terrence Higgins Trust